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WKEF-TV ABC 22 News :: News - Top Stories - WASTE WATCH: New Business Denied; Building Only 20% Full
Friday, December 14 2012, 08:08 AM EST
WASTE WATCH: New Business Denied; Building Only 20% Full
DAYTON -- The business design was full of potential, but the city felt it was too risky.

It's at the Dayton International Airport. The former Emery building was sold to UPS and now it is owned by IRG.

"We had an opportunity here to do something great for Dayton. I mean this is the birthplace of aviation. And how long are we going to live off the Wright Brothers, they've been in the ground a long time," said Mark Herres, who looks at this massive building and can't help think, "what if."

What if the city had gone with his proposal? Plans to make Dayton International Airport the first solar-powered airport in the world, using the roof to mount solar panels.

Inside the former Emery building is one of the largest Global Disaster Relief distribution hubs in the world. Dozens of partners gave letters of intent to work with him -- from technology companies to Harvard to Wright State.

After spending millions of his own money getting the plans in the works, the deal never went through. So knowing that now just one tenant fills 20 percent of the building Herres says he is bitter.

"If you're gonna play ball, play fair ball. I just feel sick for the city of Dayton and all the people around here. The loss of all the jobs that could have happened at this facility. We had letters of intent from a  manufacturing company from Japan. An overseas company that was going to relocate here," said Herres.

Airport Director Terry Slaybaugh says Herres had big plans, but no money to back them, that's why they turned to Industrial Realty Group.

"Maybe other proposals were more sexy, talking about solar, alternative fuels. But frankly, the city had to do what we felt was in the best interest of the city, and we had a fiduciary responsibility and to not take risks with public assets," said Slaybaugh.

SB Metals has just set up shop and several others are considered in the works. IRG specializes in buying and developing industrial sites. They're also working on getting tenants into the former GM plant in Moraine. The city wanted a more solid plan with good financial backing.

"No one has a crystal ball of what's going to happen next., just look at the fiscal cliff. But, I'm confident by the end of 2013 that we'll have more than one tenant in that building," said Slaybaugh.

Mayor Gary Leitzell says it's a shame and wishes the city went with Herres' group.

"We should have given the local business guy the opportunity to put the solar panels on the roof and turned it into an energy-generating building. The worst thing that would have happened is he'd have failed and then we could have sold it to IRG. At least it would have been income producing at the time."

For Herres, he is developing UAV technology and has other plans in the works.

We talked with IRG representatives over the phone since they're based out of Cleveland and California. They say that they are still getting these buildings ready for companies to move in and say they are in talks with several more tenants to fill in the rest of the space.WASTE WATCH: New Business Denied; Building Only 20% Full

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